Shane's Planes

[RANGERMOUSE]

I thought I'd share some of the aircraft I've made over the last few months.
With lockdown and not being able to get home I can't get to work on my layout. Luckily I've been able to keep sane with some modelling in my room at work.
These are just the completed ones, I still have a few on the go, including a Bachmann MK1 BSK I'm converting to the weedsprayer carriage. 

First up is the HobbyBoss HH-60J with the Air Graphics Models interior set which you can't actually see. I've modified this to the current MH-60T version although I still need to add a FLIR turret.
Second is the Academy A-10 built OOB. I've actually seen these in action and they are awesome.
Third is the Airfix Phantom FG.1. The real version of this is in the Ulster Aviation Society museum at the old Long Kesh Maze site. It is also OOB
Lastly is the Revell Hunter FGA.9 built in Rhodesian colours using Xtradecals Hunter sheet.
All are 1/72 which is my preferred scale though I have dabbled in 1/48 and 1/144 for Airliner models.
I use acrylics and an Iwata Neo airbrush to paint them.

Photos.app.zip

[Broithe]

Nice!

The Hunter was a civilised plane.

 

Somewhere, I may still have a 'Restricted' document, that I once got arrested at bayonet-point for possessing*. It included some crash reports**. One involved some Jordanian Hunter pilots being trained to attack gun sites in Wales. The "attacks" were being filmed by two chaps in a pretend sandbagged enclosure just below a hilltop. They were also in radio communication with the "attacking" Hunters - the general technique was to fly directly at the gun site, so that your fire would '"suppress" the fire from the lads in the gun site. Most of the initial "attacks" broke off far too early. People were repeatedly advised to press home the attack until the last possible moment, to maintain the fire-suppression. The final pilot decided that he was going to be the best - but this ended up with him taking the top two rows of sandbags off, removing the cine camera and burying the two chaps, who had elected to lie down on the floor by this stage, under a deluge of sand.

One of the statements to the board of enquiry was along the lines of "By this stage, I had ceased to directly observe the situation, as I was lying face-down in the bottom of the gun pit".


* There were other potential offences at the time, but I was never actually charged.

** RAF crash reports of the 60s and 70s could be quite 'entertaining'.

[Galteemore]

The Hunter is a truly beautiful airframe. Still in use, I think, by MoD contractors for various purposes such as the ‘Thursday war’. 

Edited August 31, 2020 by Galteemore

[RANGERMOUSE]

8 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

The Hunter is a truly beautiful airframe. Still in use, I think, by MoD contractors for various purposes such as the ‘Thursday war’. 

It still is, in fact there is a pic of a newly acquired T72 variant in this months AFM magazine.

[Galteemore]

True classics last. Some US outfits still employ the Dakota as a workhorse and not a museum piece.

[Broithe]

43 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

True classics last. Some US outfits still employ the Dakota as a workhorse and not a museum piece.

The Chinese run a turborprop conversion in Antarctica.

[RANGERMOUSE]

The latest addition, a Revell MV-22 Osprey.

It was sprayed using Tamiya and Vallejo acrylics. If you look at the black painted areas, you can see some discolouration caused by the Humbrol acrylic matt varnish. I recently moved away from Railmatch matt varnish as it seemed to yellow lighter finishes. Now this Humbrol one seems to have reacted with the darker colour. Both were rattle cans as I have found putting varnish through my airbrush leads to clogging very soon after starting.

Any solutions or advice would be most welcome.

[popeye]

Nice model and well built. 

There's nothing worse at the end of a build and then the varnish ruins it.

This has happened to me with Humbrol varnish. I think the problem is not shaking

the can for long enough, or it could be humidity.

I stopped using it.

[Broithe]

Tell people it's weathering - black areas on aircraft are rarely fully 'flat' in reality.

[Georgeconna]

Humbrol matt is like that now, Its shit. throw it away and get some alclad Matt coat. you could paint a light dusting of thinnned gloss over the grey areas it may get ride of it and re do with Alclad.

 

Poxy Paint manufacturers are doing me head in.

[RANGERMOUSE]

Another new addition.

This is the 1/72 Acadamey F-18 kit. Kit was built OOB with some Decals from Air Graphics to make a CF188 that recently operated in the Middle East.

Paints were Vallejo and I seem to have solved my varnish issues. I'm using Vallejo matt varnish. The weathering was done using oils over a gloss varnish to highlight panel lines. I then overcoated in matt and dabbed highly thick dark oil washes to give the grubby effect. This was sealed in with more matt varnish. In hindsight I'd use a thinner brush to do the streaking on the wings as it seems to be a bit thick. It is much darker in the pic then it is in reality. The lighting in my room is awful.

All I need now is to add a Sniper tageting pod as the kit came with a LANTIRN pod.

[Georgeconna]

Dirty ol yoke, Looks smashing all tooled up as well.

I only made the Heller one years ago and did it in Spanish CS.

Academy kits are fab and go together quite well too.

[RANGERMOUSE]

The latest 2 additions to my aircraft fleet completed over the last 5 weeks at work.

First is the Airfix 1/72 Sea Harrier from 801 Squadron FAA. The Sea Harrier is my all time favourite aircraft so I couldn't not have one in my collection. The panel lines are unrealistically deep and are typical of the Airfix kits from the time (10 to 15 years ago). It was painted using both Vallejo and Tamiya paints. I mainly used the kit decals but the 801 NAS specific decals were from a Model Alliance decal sheet.

Second is an Acadamey 1/72 F-15C Eagle from the 493rd FS at RAF Lakenheath in the UK. Paints were "USAF Gray Schemes" from Vallejo's Air War Colour Series. I used Caracal Models F-15C/D Lakenheath decals with some of the kits own decal for some of the stencilling. 

Both kits were primed in black and mottled over with white. This creates a worn, grubby look as the different tones show through the paint, as long as you don't apply too heavy a coat. Don't ask me how I know that 

Please excuse the quality of the photos. The light in my room at work is awful and I'm using my old Samsung camera. I don't own (or want) a smartphone to takes pics on that.

I'm home for a month now so will hopefully be able to crack on with my layout. Progress has stalled on that over the last year as due to the restrictions on travel for the first half of the year getting home was a nightmare. 

[Galteemore]

Nice. The RAF variant Harrier tends to be much better known given its high profile on CAS work in the early Op HERRICK rotations before the GR4s came in. That’s a lovely model and nicely shows off the distinctive FAA features.

Edited December 12, 2021 by Galteemore

[RANGERMOUSE]

11 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

Nice. The RAF variant Harrier tends to be much better known given its high profile on CAS work in the early Op HERRICK rotations before the GR4s came in. That’s a lovely model and nicely shows off the distinctive FAA features.

We had a Harrier do a "show of force" for us during Herrick 8 in Sangin. It came out of the blue, down the canal and I swear at one stage I was looking DOWN at it, it was so low. Didn't work, we had a major contact after it left. That was the patrol where our Plt Comd ordered us to "Fix Bayonets" 

[Georgeconna]

Nice Shar, have 1 or to in the Stash.

The 15 is lovely too, Iraqi killer with  2 kills, Probably seen that in one of my numerous visits to the Heath. Great spot for watching the LN aircraft.

the C/D wont have much longer there with the F-35 dues soon

[RANGERMOUSE]

5 minutes ago, Georgeconna said:

Nice Shar, have 1 or to in the Stash.

The 15 is lovely too, Iraqi killer with  2 kills, Probably seen that in one of my numerous visits to the Heath. Great spot for watching the LN aircraft.

the C/D wont have much longer there with the F-35 dues soon

I think it's next year (22) the C/Ds leave. The Es will still be there though. And I think they're getting 2 squadrons of F-35s, though I could be wrong on that.
 

[Georgeconna]

Knock Knock, who is there....

 

 

[popeye]

I'll have to get one of those.

I wonder if I could park it on the road. 

[RANGERMOUSE]

I tried to post this last week but due to horrific internet the pics wouldn't upload.
Here are my finished models of 2023. I had set myself a challange to complete 1 a month and as you can see I failed miserably. Though I do have 3 or 4 at the weathering stage.

First up is a Revell F-22 from the 90th Fighter Squadron in Alaska.

Second is also Revell Hawk T1 of 736 NAS at Culdrose. I completed this in time for the Hawk to be retired and 736 NAS disbanded.

Third is an Italeri F-35 B from 617 Squadron.

And lastly an Airfix Typhoon 1B from 121 Wing during the Normandy invasion.

All are 1/72 and great kits that pretty much fall together. Painting the F-22 and F-35 were a nightmare though due to all the masking. Paints were Tamiya or Vallejo with the exception of the F-35 which was Hataka Have Glass. Weathering was done with oils once the paint had been sealed with a varnish.

I might get another F-35 seeing as 809 Squadron has now stood up and seeing as Naval aircraft are my favourite, particularly the Fleet Air Arm.